Germany Every minute a new cancer diagnosis

Germany: Every minute a new cancer diagnosis. The growing number of cancer cases in Germany could cause a lot of costs in the healthcare system in the future.

Every minute, according to the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), a new occurrence of cancer is being diagnosed. According to projections, this could lead to 450,000 new cancer diagnoses in Germany in 2010. Since 1990, 30 percent more people have cancer. The number of cancer diagnoses has even increased by 45 percent. The most common is unrestrained cell proliferation on the prostate. Followed by intestinal and lung tumors. For women, the rate of cancer increased by 14 percent. Women are most likely to suffer from breast cancer.

Of course, there is an increase in the cost of treatment in the German health system. In the period from 2002 to 2006, costs increased by nearly 30 percent. Meanwhile, the cost of cancer in Germany is almost 15 million euros annually.

According to the German Cancer Society e. V., the initiator of the German Cancer Congress from 24 to 27 February 2010 in Berlin, a number of effective measures have already been launched: the National Cancer Plan, the implementation of organ cancer centers, centers of excellence and oncology. Precisely because of the rising costs, it is important to further individualize the therapy.

The first results are thus also directly felt for the patients: Survival rates have risen markedly, especially in the case of prostate cancer, which is at the top of the list for men. As early detection has improved, 90 percent of those affected survive the first 5 years and longer. Colon cancer, which ranks second in both men and women, also has improvements in the reduction in death rates. Here, 60 percent of those affected survive the first five years after diagnosis. Skin tumors and testicular cancer also have similar positive changes.

The doctors still have problems with lung cancer and the extremely aggressive pancreatic cancer. Here, only ten percent of those affected survive detection for the first five years or more. A major cause of cancer is old age. As people grow older, an increase would be normal here. It also discusses how environmental factors and lifestyle influence.

It is feared among medical professionals that the growing number of tumors in the training of specialists of the individual tumor diseases is still not taken into account. In a few years this could lead to inadequate care of tumor patients. (Thorsten Fischer, Naturopath Osteopathy, 23.02.2010)

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